RPCV Pleads Guilty to Sex Abuse, AP News Reports

June 27, 2012 NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - A former Peace Corps volunteer charged last year with sexually abusing young girls while serving in South Africa plans to plead guilty in Connecticut, authorities told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Jesse Osmun is due in U.S. District Court in Hartford on Wednesday afternoon for a guilty plea proceeding, said Tom Carson, spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office, and Richard Meehan Jr., Osmun’s attorney. He’s expected to plead guilty to traveling from the United States to engage in illicit sexual conduct with children.

Authorities have said the 32-year-old Milford resident molested five children under the age of 6, some multiple times, and gave them candy from 2010 to 2011.

The Peace Corps has said it was made aware of the allegations after Osmun resigned and called the allegations of sexual abuse “reprehensible.”

With the Peace Corps, Osmun worked at the Umvoti AIDS Center that provides support to residents affected by the AIDS virus.

According to a federal criminal complaint, a teacher saw Osmun follow three young girls into a preschool building. The teacher went into the building and saw Osmun, who was in a toy room with the girls, appear startled and zip up his pants, authorities said.

The girls referred to Osmun as “uncle” and said he gave them candy for performing oral sex, prosecutors said.

Osmun initially denied any misconduct but later admitted he had molested children and provided a written confession, according to the complaint. He admitted he engaged in sexual contact with three girls under age 6 for about a year, including one girl twice a week for about five months, authorities said.